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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 60pt">21</span>
<p align=center><B>LECTURE I</B>
<BLOCKQUOTE><p><B>1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the
disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon
Peter, Thomas called the Twin [Didymus], Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons
of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said
to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They
went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as
day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that
it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They
answered him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the
boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to
haul it in, for the quantity of fish.<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</B></a></BLOCKQUOTE>

<p>2569 The Evangelist has just told of two appearances of
Christ to his disciples. Now he mentions a third appearance. If we consider the
order and purpose of these appearances, it is evident that the first showed
Christ's divine authority by his breathing the Holy Spirit upon them; the
second showed that he was the same person as before, since he let them view his
wounds; and the third showed the reality of his risen human nature, for he ate
with them.

<p>There are two parts in this. The Evangelist
first mentions Christ's dealing with a group of the disciples; secondly, with
two of them he especially loved (v 15). As to the first, the Evangelist
mentions the time and circumstance of his appearance, and then adds a short
epilogue, <b>This was now the third time....</b>

<p>2570 The time is <b>After this</b>, after what the
Evangelist just narrated. It is significant that he says this for it shows that
Christ was not with them continuously, but appeared to them at intervals. The
reason for this was that he had not risen with the same life as before, but
with a glorious life, as the angels have and the blessed will have: "Except the
gods," that is, the angels, "whose dwelling is not with flesh" (Dan 2:11).

<p>2571 The Evangelist seemed to be ending his gospel before,
when he wrote, <b>these are written that you may believe.... </b>Why, then,
does he add on this appearance? Augustine gives a mystical reason for this,
which is that this appearance signifies the glory of the future life, when
Christ will appear to us as he is.<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a>
And so the Evangelist put this appearance after what seemed to be the end of
his gospel so that this could be better understood.

<p>2572 The circumstance of his appearance was that <b>Jesus
revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. </b>It is in
the nature and power of a glorified body that it can be seen or not seen, as
the person wishes, by non&#8209;glorified bodies. That is why he says, <b>revealed</b>,
i.e., Christ made himself visible. In the same way he is said to appear, which
means the same thing as to reveal, "appearing to them during forty days" (Acts
1:3). As Ambrose says, that appears in whose power it is to be seen or not
seen.<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3">[3]</a>

<p>2573 The place is <b>by the Sea of Tiberias</b>, which is
the Sea of Galilee. It is called the Sea of Tiberias after the city of Tiberias, which was built in honor of Tiberius Caesar. The Evangelist mentions this,
first, to show that our Lord had kept the promise made to the disciples, "he is
going before you to Galilee" (Mt 28:7). Secondly, he wanted to show that our
Lord had banished the very great fear from the hearts of his disciples, so that
they no longer remained shut up in their house, but even traveled as far as Galilee.

<p>2574 In describing this appearance, he first mentions the
persons to whom Christ appeared; what they were doing; and thirdly, the
circumstances of this appearance.

<p>2575 Christ appeared to seven persons. The Evangelist says
that there were together <b>Simon Peter, </b>who had denied him, <b>Thomas
called the Twin, </b>who was not present at the first appearance, <b>Nathanael
of Cana in Galilee, </b>who is thought to be the brother of Philip, <b>the sons
of Zebedee</b>, that is, James and John, and <b>two others of his disciples </b>not
explicitly named. In the mystical sense, this number signifies the state and
appearance of future glory, which will be after the seventh age, that is, in
the eighth, which is the age of those who arise: "From new moon to new moon,
and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me" (Is
66:23). 

<p>2576 They were fishing, and so we first see Peter asking
about this; the willingness of the others to go with him; and then their
efforts.

<p>2577 Peter asks them to go fishing, saying, <b>I am going
fishing. </b>In the mystical interpretation, this signifies the work of
preaching: "I will make you fishers of men" (Mt 4:19). So when Peter said, <b>I
am going fishing, </b>the mystical sense is that he is taking the others to
share in his concerns and preaching: "So it will be easier for you, and they
will bear the burden with you" (Ex 18:22).

<p>2578 Their actual fishing seems to go against Luke (9:62):
"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." And it is clear that Peter had given up his work as fisherman. Why then
did he return to it and look back? I answer, with Augustine, that if he had
returned to this work of fishing before Christ's resurrection and before seeing
Christ's wounds, we would think that he was acting out of despair.  But now,
even after Christ returned from the grave, after they had seen his wounds, and
had received the Holy Spirit by Christ's breathing on them, they became what
they were before, fishers of fish [not of men]. <a href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4"
title="">[4]</a> 
We can learn from this that a preacher can use his abilities to earn the
necessaries of life and still preserve the integrity of his apostolate, if he
has no other means of sustenance. For if St. Paul learned an art he did not
previously have in order to obtain the food he needed, so as to avoid being a
burden to others, Peter could all the more do this by using his own skill.

<p>2579 Augustine says that a preacher can do this when he
cannot gain a living in any other way. But in this case Peter did have another
way, for our Lord promised: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be yours as well," that is, what is necessary for
life (Mt 6:33). The answer is that it is true that these things will be added,
with our cooperation. So our Lord did keep his promise here, with the
cooperation of Peter. For who else but our Lord caused the fish that were
caught to be within the range of their net?

<p>2580 Gregory remarks that there are two kinds of work.<a
href="#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5">[5]</a>
One absorbs the mind, and hinders our spiritual concerns, as tax collecting. No
one should return to such work, even to provide food. So we do not read that
Matthew returned to his tax collecting post. There is another kind of work
which can be done without sin and without absorbing the mind, such as fishing
and things like that. And it was not a sin for Peter to return to this kind of
work after his conversion.

<p>2581 The others agree to this, <b>We will go with you</b>.
This sets an example for preachers and prelates to encourage each other in
their work of turning people to God: "A brother helped is like a strong city"
(Prv 18:19); "He was like a young cedar on Lebanon; and they surrounded him
like the trunks of palm trees" (Sir 50:12).

<p>2582 Next, we see that they were working at this, <b>They
went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. </b>Here he
touches on three things that preachers ought to do. First, they should leave
those places which are sunk in sin: "Come out from them," the Chaldaeans, "and
be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; and I will
welcome you" (2 Cor 6:17). And they should go out from their carnal affections:
"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house" (Gen 12:1). And
also leave the quiet of contemplation: "Let us go forth into the fields, and
lodge in the villages; let us go out early to the vineyards" (Song 7:11).
Secondly, preachers should get into the ship, that is, go forward in charity
within the unity of the Church, which is called a ship: "In the days of Noah,
during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were
saved through water" (1 Pet 3:20). They should also board the ship of the cross
by depriving the flesh: "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to
the world" (Gal 6:14); "Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes" (Wis
14:7).

<p>            Thirdly, preachers should have total confidence
in the help of Christ. All <b>that night they caught nothing, </b>because as
long as God's help and the interior Preacher are not there, the words of the
preacher have no effect. But when the light comes, enlightening hearts, the
preacher makes a catch: "Send out your light and your truth" (Ps 42:3). Here,
night indicates the lack of divine help: "Night comes, when no one can work"
(9:4). Or, one could say, <b>that night, </b>during the time of the Old
Testament, <b>they caught nothing, </b>because they could not bring the
Gentiles to the faith: "The night has passed" [Rom 13:12]. According to
Augustine, they were fishing at night because they were still afraid.<a
href="#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6">[6]</a>

<p>2583 Now we see the way and stages in which Jesus appeared:
first, he allows himself to be seen; secondly he is recognized; and thirdly, he
eats with the disciples.

<p>2584 The Evangelist says that the <b>day was breaking</b>,
it was morning. In the mystical interpretation, morning or the break of day
indicates the glory of the resurrection: "Weeping may tarry for the night, but
joy comes with the morning" (Ps 30:5); "In the morning I will stand before you,
and will see you" [Ps 5:5].

<p>2585 Before his passion, on the occasion of a similar
miracle, Jesus did not stand on the shore, but was in a boat. Why, after the
passion, does he stand on the shore? The reason is that the sea signifies the
troubles and tribulations of this present life, but all these end at the shore
[of eternal life]. So, before his passion, Christ stood on the sea, because he
had a body subject to death; but after the resurrection, he had surmounted the
corruption of the flesh and stood upon the shore.

<p>2586 <b>The disciples did not know that it was Jesus </b>because
of their own ignorance. We can see from this that on this turbulent sea of the
present, we cannot know the hidden things of Christ: "The eye has not seen, O
God, besides you, what things you have prepared for those who wait for you" [Is
64:4].

<p>2587 Next, Jesus brings them to recognize him. First, the
Evangelist shows how they came to recognize him; and who was the first to do
so.

<p>2588 The Evangelist does three things regarding the first.
First, he shows our Lord asking for food, <b>Children, have you any fish? </b>The
disciples did not think it was Christ asking, but someone who wanted to buy
fish, for he spoke like a customer. In the mystical interpretation, Christ asks
us for food to refresh himself. And we do this for him by obeying the
commandments "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish
his work" (4:34). <b>They answered him, No</b>, that is, not of themselves: "I
can will what is right, but I cannot do it" (Rom 7: 18).

<p>2589 Secondly, the Evangelist mentions Christ's order, <b>Cast
the net on the right side of the boat. </b>In Luke (5:4) there is a similar
incident, but there Christ did not tell them to cast their nets to the right
side, as he does here. The reason for this is that the fishing mentioned by
John signifies that fishing by which the predestined are taken to eternal life,
and it is only those children on the right who are brought there: "The Lord
knows the ways that are on the right; those on the left are perverse" [Prv
4:27]; "The right hand of the Lord does valiantly!" (Ps 118:16). The fishing
mentioned in Luke signified the call into the Church, and so the net is cast to
all sides because people are caught and brought to Christ from all over: "Go
out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and
maimed and blind and lame" (Lk 14:21).

<p>2590 The obedience of the disciples is shown when the
Evangelist says, <b>So they cast it</b>, the net; and the effect of this
obedience, <b>and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of
fish, </b>that is, for the great number of those who would be saved: "By your
descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you
have obeyed my voice" (Gen 22:18); "Behold, a great multitude which no man
could number" (Rev 7:9). This fishing differs from that mentioned by Luke because
there (Lk 5:6) the nets broke; and in a like way the Church is rent by
disagreements and heresies. But in the fishing mentioned by John the net does
not break because there will be no lack of unity in the future life. Again, in
the incident mentioned by Luke, the fish were taken into the boat. But here in
John's incident, the fish are brought to the shore, because the saints destined
for glory are hidden from us: "In the covert of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men" (Ps 31:20). [Augustine remarks that when on the sea of
this life the elect are not known to us, they are hidden from us; they become
known to us only when we arrive at the shore, at eternal life.]<a href="#_ftn7"
name="_ftnref7">[7]</a>
<BR><BR><BR>
<p align=center><B>LECTURE 2</B>

<BLOCKQUOTE><p><b>7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is
the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes,
for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. 8 But the other
disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not
far from the land, but about a hundred yards [two hundred cubits] off. 9 When
they got out on land, they saw [hot coals] a charcoal fire there, with fish
lying on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you
have just caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore,
full of large fish, a hundred and fifty&#8209;three of them; and although there
were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them. "Come and [dine]
have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They
knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and
so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the
disciples after he was raised from the dead.<a href="#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8"
title="">[8]</b></a></BLOCKQUOTE>

<p>2591 The Evangelist, having shown how the taking of the great
number of fish lead the disciples to recognize Christ, now mentions the order
in those recognizing him. First, he mentions John; then Peter; and then actions
of the other disciples.

<p>2592 John, being quick in understanding, recognized Christ
at once. So he said to Peter, whom he loved more than the others, and also
because Peter was above the others in rank, <b>It is the Lord! </b>John was
convinced of this by the catch of the fish: "Thou dost rule the raging of the
sea" (Ps 88:8); "Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth in
the seas and all deeps" (Ps 134:6). He said, <b>It is the Lord! </b>because
they usually called him this: "You call me teacher and Lord" (13:13).

<p>2593 Peter is seen as passionately devoted to Christ. His
devotion is clear, first of all, by his quickness to act: <b>When Simon Peter
heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for
work, and sprang into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat. </b>As
soon as he heard it was the Lord, Peter went without delay.

<p>Secondly, we see his devotion for
Christ, for out of modesty he did not want to appear naked, but put on his
clothes, for he was stripped for work, because it was hot and it made working
easier. We can learn from this that those coming to Christ ought to put off the
old man and put on the new, which has been created for God in faith: "He who
conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out
of the book of life" (Rev 3:5).

<p>Thirdly, his devotion is shown by
his lack of fear: for because of his great love he was unwilling to stay in the
boat, which was moving too slowly, and so he <b>sprang into the sea</b>, to
reach Christ more quickly.

<p>2594 In the mystical interpretation, the sea signifies the
troubles of this present world. Those who desire to come to Christ cast
themselves into the sea, and do not refuse the tribulations of this world:
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22); "My
son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials" (Sir
2:1). Now Peter did cast himself into the sea and he reached Christ unharmed
because the servant of Christ is kept safe and unharmed in the midst of
tribulations: "You have given a path in the sea, and a safe way through the
waves" [Wis 14:3]. As Chrysostom says, this incident very well brings out the
difference between John and Peter: for John is seen to be greater in
understanding, while Peter is more ardent in his affections.<a href="#_ftn9"
name="_ftnref9">[9]</a>

<p>2595 The other disciples remained on the boat. First, the
Evangelist mentions what they did, <b>the other disciples came in the boat, </b>because
they were not as ardent as Peter. The boat signifies the Church: "The hope of
the world took refuge on a raft, and guided by your hand left to the world the
seed of a new generation" (Wis 14:6). This text refers to the Church as we see
from 1 Peter (3:20).

<p><b>The other disciples came in the
boat, </b>that is, protected by the society of the Church, which is as
formidable as an army prepared for battle: "In the covert of your presence you
hide them from the plots of men" (Ps 31:20).

<p>2596 Secondly, the Evangelist gives the reason why they did
this, <b>for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits off.
</b>This could be the reason why Peter sprang into the sea, because the land
was near; and it could explain why the others arrived so quickly. Indeed, they
were not far away, because the Church is not far from the land of the living,
for the Church is "none other than the house of God, and ... the gate of
heaven" (Gen 28:17); and the saints think about this land every day: "We look
not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen" (2 Cor
4:18); "Our commonwealth is in heaven" (Phil 3:20).

<p>He says, <b>two hundred cubits, </b>which
signifies the same thing as the two boats mentioned by Luke (5:2), that is, the
two peoples from which the elect are drawn to eternal life: "That he might
create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might
reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross" (Eph 2:15). The net by
which the fish are taken is the teaching of the faith, by which God draws us by
inspiring us from within: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me
draws him" (6:44). The apostles also draw us by their exhortations.

<p>2597 Next, the Evangelist tells how Christ affectionately
prepared a meal for his disciples. He mentions its preparation; Christ's
invitation; and the meal itself. In the preparation of the meal we see what was
contributed by Christ, and what was brought by the disciples.

<p>2598 Christ prepared three things. The Evangelist continues,
<b>When they got out on land, they saw hot coals there, with fish lying on it,
and bread, </b>which Christ by his power had created from nothing, or had
formed from some nearby matter. In a previous miracle (6:11), Jesus fed the
people with bread he had multiplied from previously existing bread. Now, after
his passion, he creates or newly forms things, because it is no longer the time
to show weakness but his power. For what he did before his passion in the
multiplication of the bread was done in condescension, because if he wanted, he
could have created it from nothing or newly formed it.

<p>2599 We can understand from this that Christ prepares a
spiritual meal or banquet. If we take this present meal symbolically for the
Church's meal, Christ also prepares these three things. First the hot coals of
charity: "You will heap coals of fire on his head" (Prv 25:22); "Fill your
hands with burning coals" (Ez 10:2). Christ carried these burning coals from
heaven to earth: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another"
(13:34); "I came to cast fire upon the earth" (Lk 12:49). Also, Christ prepares
the fish laid over the coals, which is Christ himself: for the cooking fish
outspread over the hot coals is the suffering Christ who is spread over the hot
coals when because of the fire of his love for us he is immolated on the cross:
"Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God" (Eph 5:2); "Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love,
as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:1).

<p>He also prepares the bread which
nourishes us, and this bread is himself. Christ is called a fish insofar as his
divinity is hidden, for it is characteristic of fish to remain hidden in the
water: "Truly, you are a God who hides yourself" (Is 45:15). While insofar as
Christ nourishes us by his teaching, and even gives us his body for food, he is
truly bread: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (6:51); "The
bread will be rich and abundant" [Is 30:23]. The ministers of the Church should
also bring something to this meal; but whatever it is, it has come from God.

<p>2600 The Evangelist now mentions what was brought by the
disciples: first, we see the Lord's command; and then one of the disciples acts
on it.

<p>2601 Our Lord tells them to bring some of the fish they have
caught. It was like saying: I have given you the gift of charity, I have
roasted my body upon the cross and given you the bread of my teaching, which
perfects and strengthens the Church. Now it is your task to catch others. These
are the ones who will be converted by the preaching of the apostles: "Bring to
the Lord, O children of God" [Ps 29:1]; "And they shall bring all your brethren
from all the nations as an offering to the Lord" (Is 66:20).

<p>2602 If this meal is understood to be a moral meal, then
Christ first prepares as food for the soul the burning coals of charity: "God's
love has been poured into our hearts" (Rom 5:5); "I came to cast fire upon the
earth" (Lk 12:49). Then he prepares the fish, that is, a hidden faith, since it
is concerned with things that are not evident (Heb 10:1); and also the bread,
that is, solid teaching: "Solid food is for the mature" (Heb 5:14). Our
contribution to this meal is to make good use of the grace given to us: "But by
the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain" (1
Cor 15:10). Thus our Lord asks us to <b>bring the fish, </b>bring your good
works, which have been granted to you to accomplish: "Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works" (Mt 5:16).

<p>2603 The Evangelist mentions that this was done by one of
the disciples, Peter, who was more ardent than the others, <b>So Simon Peter
went aboard</b>;<b> </b>he also went up to the helm of the Church: "I will
climb the state of perfection" [Song 7:8]; "In his heart he is set to ascend"
[Ps 64:6]. <b>And hauled the net ashore, </b>because the holy Church has been
entrusted to him, and it was said to him in particular, "Feed my lambs"
(21:15). Peter now foreshadows this by his action in drawing the fish to the
solid land, because he will show the solidity of the eternal homeland to the
faithful.

<p>2604 He said, <b>full of large fish, </b>because "those whom
he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified" (Rom
8:30); "Men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding,
and proclaiming prophecies; leaders of the people in their deliberations" (Si
44:3). At the other catch of fish (Lk 5:4) the number of fish taken was not
mentioned, but it is here; here there were <b>a hundred and fifty&#8209;three. </b>The
reason for this is that those called to the Church of the present time include
both those who are good and bad: "The number of fools is infinite" [Eccl 1:15].
Thus in Genesis (22:17), when Abraham is told of his calling, we read, "I will
multiply your descendants as the sand which is on the seashore," which refers
to the bad. While referring to the good, God says, "Look toward heaven, and
number the stars, if you are able to number them .... So shall your descendants
be" (Gen 15:5); for God especially counts the good, "He tells the number of the
stars" [Ps 147:4].

<p>2605 Does this mean that no more than a hundred and fifty&#8209;three
will be saved? No indeed! There will be more, but this number indicates a
mystery. For no one can reach the homeland without observing the commandments
of the decalogue; and the commandments can only be kept with the help of the
sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit: "The spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the spirit of counsel and of fortitude; the spirit of knowledge and of
godliness, and you will be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord" [Is
11:2]. Further, the first recorded instance of sanctification occurred on the
seventh day: "God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it" (Gen 2:3). Adding
ten and seven gives seventeen. Now if we add the cardinal numbers successively &#8209;
one plus two gives three, plus three gives six, plus four gives ten, plus five
gives fifteen, plus six gives twenty&#8209;one, and so on in this way till we
have reached the number seventeen &#8209; we arrive at the number one hundred
and fifty&#8209;three.

<p>Or, in another way: Christ now was
appearing to seven disciples. If we multiply this seven by seven (the gifts of
the Holy Spirit) we get forty&#8209;nine. Now if we add one to indicate that
perfection of unity which is characteristic of the children of God who act by
the Spirit of God, we get fifty. If we triple this, and also add three, to
indicate our faith in the Trinity (which we profess with our heart, our words
and our actions), we get a hundred and fifty&#8209;three. Thus, those who are
perfected by the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and united by their faith in
the Trinity, come to the Father.

<p>2606 The Evangelist continues, <b>and although there were so
many, the net was not torn. </b>In the incident related by Luke (Lk 5:6) the
net broke because in the present Church [in this world], which the net
signifies, there are many rips of schisms, heresies and seditions. But the
Church is not entirely torn apart because "I am with you always, to the close
of the age" (Mt 28:20). But in the future, in our homeland, heaven, which is
signified by the net which was not torn, that is, in that peace which will be
in the saints, there will be no schisms: "He makes peace in your borders" (Ps
147:14).

<p>2607 When the Evangelist says, <b>Jesus said to them, Come
and dine, </b>we see his invitation to the meal he had prepared. First, we see
Christ's invitation; then the attitude of the disciples.

<p>2608 Christ invites us to dine with him by inspiring us
himself from within, saying, <b>Come and dine</b>:<b> </b>"Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you" [Mt 11:28]; "Eat, O friends,
and drink; drink deeply, O lovers!" (Song 5:1). He also invites us to dine by
encouraging and teaching us from without through others: "A man once gave a
great banquet ... he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited,
Come" (Lk 14:16).

<p>2609 The Evangelist gives their attitude when he says, <b>Now
none of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? </b>According to Augustine,
this indicates the disciples' certainty about Christ's resurrection; they were
so certain that it was Christ that none of them presumed to doubt that it was
he.<a href="#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10">[10]</a>
And because a question indicates a doubt, no one presumed to ask, <b>Who are
you? </b>"In that day you will ask nothing of me" (16:23). For Chrysostom, it
indicates a reverence of the disciples for Christ which was greater than usual.<a
href="#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11">[11]</a>
They would have liked to have questioned him; but Christ appeared to them in
such grandeur and glory that they did not dare to question him because of their
amazement and respect. It was this that particularly stopped them from
questioning him, for <b>they knew it was the Lord.</b>

<p>2610 Next, Jesus came and took bread and gave it to them,
and we see the meal they had, with Jesus eating with them: "You open your hand,
you satisfy the desire of every living thing" (Ps 145:16). For he is the one
who gives nourishment at the appropriate times.

<p>2611 But did Christ really eat with them? We should say that
he did, although it does not say this here. Luke (24:43) explicitly says that
he ate with them, and in Acts [1:4] we read that "while eating with them, he
charged them not to leave Jerusalem."

<p>2612 But did he truly eat? We should say to this that a
thing is said to be true in two ways: true with the truth of signification, and
true with the truth of its species. A thing is true in the first way when it
corresponds to what is signified. For example, if I want to signify something
by speech, and what I signify by it is true and agrees with the thing
signified, my speech is true with the truth of signification, although not
[necessarily] true with the truth of the species. When Christ said "I am the
true vine" (15:1), that was true, although he is not a true vine in the sense
that he has the species or nature of a vine, but he is a vine considering what
vine signifies. On the other hand, something is said to be true with the truth
of its species or kind, when it has what belongs to the truth of its species.
These things are the principles of the species, not their subsequent effects.
Thus the utterance, "Man is an animal" is true in the first way, with the truth
of signification, because it signifies what is true. But is not true with the
truth of species unless it is spoken by the mouth of a [human] animal using its
normal organs of speech. Its truth does not depend on the effects of the
speaking, for example, that it be heard by someone. So, applied to the act of
eating: some cases are true only with the truth of signification, as the eating
ascribed to an angel, because an angel does not have the organs for eating. But
what is signified by their eating is true, that is, the desire they have for
our salvation. But Christ's act of eating after the resurrection was true both
with the truth of signification, because he did it to show that he had a human
nature, which he did in truth have, and his eating was true according to its
species, because he had the organs used for eating. However, the effects
consequent on eating were not present, since the food was not transformed into
his substance, since he had a glorified and incorruptible body. It was
dissolved into pre&#8209;existing matter by the divine power. However, this
effect does not alter the truth of the species, as was said.<a href="#_ftn12"
name="_ftnref12">[12]</a>

<p>2613 The Evangelist summarizes the appearances by saying, <b>This
was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples. </b>According
to Augustine, if this <b>third time </b>refers to the number of times, it is
not true.<a href="#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13">[13]</a>
For as was said, on the first day Christ appeared five times, again on the
eighth day when Thomas was present, again by the Sea as recorded here, again on
the mountain in Galilee (Mt 28:16), again when they were at table (Mk 16:14),
and again on the day of his ascension, when "as they were looking on, he was
lifted up" (Acts 1:9). Further, he appeared to them many other times during the
forty days, but these are not recorded (Acts 1:3).

<p>Thus the <b>third time </b>must
refer to the days on which Christ appeared. The first day he appeared was the
day of the resurrection; the second day was eight days after the resurrection, <b>eight
days later </b>(20:26); and the third day was the appearance by the lake
mentioned here. Or, one could say, this statement can be true even if it is
refereed to the number of times: for the only times we read that he appeared to
a <i>number </i>of the disciples gathered together was on the first day in the
evening, when the doors were shut; secondly, eight days later, when the
disciples were gathered together; and thirdly, here at the Sea. Thus, he
explicitly says, <b>this was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the
disciples. </b>
<BR><BR><BR>
<p align=center><b>LECTURE 3

<BLOCKQUOTE><p>15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon
Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him,
"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A
second time he said to him, "Simon, Son of John, do you love me?" He said to
him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep"
[Feed my lambs]. 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you
love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love
me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."<a href="#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14">[14]</b></a></BLOCKQUOTE>

<p>2614 The Evangelist just showed what the Lord did for the
disciples in general; here he shows him dealing with his two especially loved
disciples: first, what he did for Peter; and how he dealt with John (v 20). He
does two things with the first: first, he lays on Peter the pastoral office;
secondly, he predicts that he will be martyred (v18).

<p>He imposes the pastoral office on Peter only
after an examination. Thus, those who are to be raised to this office are first
examined, "Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands" (1 Tim 5:22). Christ
examined him three times, and so this part is divided into three parts. In the
first part we see our Lord's question (v 15); Peter's answer; and the
imposition of the office (v 15). Looking at the first, we can consider three
things: the time of the examination; the tenor of the conversation; and on what
Peter was examined.

<p>2615 The order of this event is given as <b>When they had
finished </b>the meal. This signifies the spiritual meal by which the soul is
refreshed with spiritual gifts, even when it is united to the body: "I will
come in to him and eat with him" (Rev 3:20). Therefore it is appropriate that
one who is raised to this office be already refreshed with this joyous meal.
Otherwise, how could he refresh the hungry ones that come to him: "I will feast
the soul of the priests with abundance" (Jer 31:14), with that abundance
mentioned in Psalm 63 (v 5): "My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat."

<p>2616 The tenor of the conversation is seen when he says, <b>Jesus
said to Simon Peter. </b>Three things are given here which are necessary for a
prelate. First, obedience, when he says, <b>Simon, </b>which means obedient. A
prelate needs to be obedient because one who does not know how to obey
superiors does not know how to govern inferiors: "An obedient man will speak of
victory" [Prv 21:28]. Secondly, a prelate needs knowledge, indicated by <b>Peter</b>,<b>
</b>which means understanding. A prelate needs understanding for he is the
appointed watchman, and one who is blind is a poor watchman: "His watchmen are
blind" (Is 56:10); "Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from
being a priest to me" (Hos 4:6). Thirdly, a prelate needs grace, for he says <b>son
of John. </b>Prelates need grace because if they do not have grace they do not
have anything: "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor 15:10); "And when
they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who
were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship"
(Gal 2:9).

<p>2617 The questions are about love; and Jesus asks, <b>Do you
love me more than these? </b>This was a suitable question, for Peter had
previously fallen, as we saw before, and it was not appropriate that he be
preferred to the others until his sin was forgiven &#8209; which is only
brought about by charity: "Love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Pet 4:8); "Love
covers all offenses" (Prv 10:12). So it was fitting that his charity be made
known by this questioning, not indeed to him who looks into the depths of our
hearts, but to others. So Christ said, but not as one who did not already know,
<b>Do you love me more than these? </b>Now we read that "perfect love casts out
fear" (1 Jn 4:18). Thus it was that when our Lord was about to die, Peter was
afraid and denied him; but the risen Lord restored love and banished his fear.
So Peter, who before had denied Christ because he was afraid to die, now, after
our Lord has arisen, feared nothing. Why should he be afraid, since he now
realized that death had died?

<p>2618 This questioning was also appropriate for the office,
since many who assume a pastoral office use it as self&#8209;lovers: "In the
last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self" (1
Tim 3:1). One who does not love the Lord is not a fit prelate. A fit prelate is
one who does not seek his own advantage, but that of Christ's; and he does this
through love: "The love of Christ controls us" (2 Cor 5:14). Love also becomes
this office because it benefits others: for it is due to the abundance of love
that those who love Jesus will at times give up the quiet of their own
contemplation to help their neighbor. Although the: Apostle said, "I am sure
that neither death nor life ... will be able to separate us from the love of
God" (Rom 8:39), he added, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed and
cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren" (Rom 9:3). Thus a prelate
should be questioned about his love.

<p>2619 He adds, <b>more than these, </b>for even as the
Philosopher says in his <i>Politics</i>, it is the natural order of things that
the one who cares for and governs others should be better.<a href="#_ftn15"
name="_ftnref15">[15]</a>
Thus he says that just as the soul is to the body that it rules, and reason is
to our lower powers, so man is related to the irrational animals. And there
ought to be a similar relation between prelates and their subjects. Thus,
according to Gregory, the life of a pastor should be such that he is related to
his subjects as a shepherd to his sheep.<a href="#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16"
title="">[16]</a>
So Christ says, <b>more than these, </b>because the more Peter loves the better
he is: "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among
all the people" (1 Sam 10:24).

<p>2620 But in selecting someone [to rule] is it always
necessary to choose the one who is unconditionally better, even if the laws say
that it is enough to choose one who is merely good? To answer this two
distinctions must be made. Some things are sufficient according to human
judgment which are still not sufficient according to the divine judgment.
According to human judgment, if a person cannot be reproached for something,
this is sufficient for his election to stand. For it is obvious that it would
be difficult to have elections if they could be nullified because someone was
found who was better than the one actually chosen. So, according to our human
judgment, it is sufficient if an election is honest and a suitable person is
chosen.

<p>            But, so far as concerns the divine judgment, and
our own conscience, it is necessary to choose that person who is better. Now a
person can be unconditionally better; and this is the way a holier person is
said to be better, for holiness makes one good. Yet such a person might not be
better for the Church. For this purpose, that person would be better who is
better educated, more competent, more discerning, and chosen more unanimously.
But if other things are equal, such as the benefit and welfare of the Church,
one would sin if he were to choose a person who was less unconditionally good
than another. There has to be a reason for such a choice. This is either the honor
of God and the benefit of the Church, or some private motive. If the motive is
the honor of God and the benefit to the Church, these goods will be regarded as
linked to the one chosen, and will make him the better person, in these
respects. If there is some private motive for the choice, such as some carnal
love, the expectation of ecclesiastical advancement, or temporal advantage, the
election is a fraud and there has been partiality.

<p>2621 Now we see Peter's answer, <b>Yes, Lord; you know that
I love you. </b>This is a clear sign that he had retracted his previous denial.
And it shows that if the predestined fall, they are always better after they
are corrected. Before his denial, Peter thought that he was better than the
other apostles, saying, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never
fall away" (Mt 26:33). And when Jesus said to him, "You will deny me three
times," Peter went against this and even boasted that "Even if I must die with
you, I will not deny you" (Mt 26:35). But now, Peter, having been conquered by
his own weakness, does not presume to state his love unless it is attested to
and confirmed by the Lord. He humbles himself before Christ, saying, <b>You
know that I love you</b>:<b> </b>"My witness is in heaven, and he that vouches
for me is on high" (Job 16:19). He also humbles himself in respect to the
apostles, for he does not say that he loves Jesus more than they do, but
simply, <b>I love you. </b>This teaches us not to rank ourselves before others,
but others before ourselves: "In humility count others better than yourselves"
(Phil 2:3).

<p>2622 We can also notice, as Augustine points out, that when
our Lord asks, <b>Do you love </b>(<i>diligis</i>) <b>me</b>, Peter does not
answer with the same word, but says <b>I love </b><i>(amo)</i><b> you</b>, as
if they were the same.<a href="#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17">[17]</a>
And they are the same in reality, but there is some difference in meaning: Love
<i>(amor) is </i>a movement of our appetitive power, and if this is regulated
by our reason it is the will's act of love, which is called "direction" (<i>dilectio</i>)
&#8209; because it presupposes an act of election, choice (<i>electio</i>).
This is why the brute animals are not said to love (<i>diligere</i>). For if
the appetitive movement is not regulated by reason, it is called <i>amor.</i>

<p>2623 After this examination, Christ assigns Peter his
office, saying, <b>Feed my lambs, </b>that is, my faithful, which I, the Lamb,
call lambs: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (1:29). Thus, one should not be called a
Christian who says he is not under the care of that shepherd, that is, Peter:
"They shall all have one shepherd" (Ez 37:24); "They shall appoint for
themselves one head" (Hos 1:11). It was appropriate that this office be
assigned to Peter, the others being passed over, because, according to
Chrysostom, he was the extraordinary apostle, the voice of the disciples, and
the head of the group.<a href="#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18">[18]</a>

<p>2624 Now we have the second examination. In order to avoid a
lot of repetition, note that Christ says three times, <b>Feed my lambs, </b>because
Peter ought to feed them three ways. First, they are to be fed by being taught:
"And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with
knowledge and understanding" (Jer 3:15). Secondly, they are to be fed by
example: "Set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in
faith, in purity" (1 Tim 4:12); "Upon the mountain heights of Israel," that is,
in the excellence of great men, "shall be their pasture" (Ez 34:14). Thirdly,
they are to be fed by being offered temporal help: "Woe, shepherds of Israel
who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?" (Ez
34:2).

<p>2625 The third time Christ says to him, <b>Feed my sheep. </b>This
is because there are three types of people in the Church: beginners, those who
have made some progress, and the perfect. The first two types are the lambs,
since they are still imperfect. The others, since they are perfect, are called
sheep: "The mountains," that is, the perfect, "skipped like rams," and "the
hills," the others, "like lambs" (Ps 114:4). And so all prelates ought to guard
their charges as Christ's sheep and not their own. But alas! As Augustine says
in his <i>Easter Sermon</i>: "We witness the appearance of certain unfaithful
servants who have abandoned Christ's flock and by their thefts have made gold
their flock. You hear them say, 'These are my sheep. What do you want with my
sheep? I will not let you come to my sheep.' But if we say "my sheep," and
others talk about their sheep, then Christ has lost his own sheep."<a
href="#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19">[19]</a>

<p>2626 Note also that just as Peter was assigned his office
three times, so he was examined three times. This was because he had denied Christ
three times. As Augustine says: "A threefold profession was required so that
Peter's tongue might show as much love as it had shown of fear, and that life
gained would wrest more words than the threat of death."<a href="#_ftn20"
name="_ftnref20">[20]</a>
Another reason for this was because Peter was obligated to love Christ for
three things. First, because his sin was forgiven, for the one who is forgiven
more loves the more (cf. Lk 7:43). Secondly, because he was promised a great
honor: "On this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16:18). Thirdly, because of
the office entrusted to him, as right here, when Christ entrusts the care of
the Church to him, <b>Feed</b>. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart," so that you will direct your entire intention to God, "and with all
your soul," so that your entire will might rest in God through love, "and with
all your might," so that the performance of all your actions will serve God.

<p>2627 Peter became sad because asked three times. As was
seen, he was rebuked by our Lord before the passion when he so quickly asserted
that he loved him. Now, seeing that he is questioned so many times about his
love, he is afraid he will be rebuked again and becomes sad. Thus he says, <b>Lord,
you know everything; you know that I love you. </b>He is saying in effect: I do
love you; at least I think I do. But you know all things, and perhaps you know
of something else that will happen. And so the final commitment of the Church
is given to the humbled Peter. According to one of the Greek doctors, this is
also the reason why catechumens are questioned three times during their
baptism.<a href="#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21">[21]</a>
<BR><BR><BR>
<p align=center><B>LECTURE 4

<BLOCKQUOTE><p>18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you
girded yourself and walked where you would, but when you are old, you will
stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do
not wish to go." 19a (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify
God.)</B></BLOCKQUOTE>

<p>2628 Above, our Lord entrusted the office of shepherd to
Peter. Now he foretells his martyrdom. This was pertinent because a good
shepherd should lay down his life for his sheep (10:11). It was not granted to
the young Peter to lay down his life for Christ; but rather to the old Peter to
lay down his life for his sheep. This is what Christ foretold to him. Christ
first tells of Peter's past life; then he predicts the end of his future life
(v 18). Thirdly, the Evangelist explains our Lord's words (v 19).

<p>2629 Peter's past life showed certain shortcomings, for as a
young man he was too presumptuous and self&#8209;willed. But this is
characteristic of the young, as the Philosopher says in his <i>Rhetoric.</i><a
href="#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22">[22]</a><i>
</i>Thus we read in Ecclesiastes (11:9) a kind of reproach: "Rejoice, O young
man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes." Our Lord refers to
this trait of Peter and says, <b>When you were young, you girded yourself and
walked where you would. </b>He says, <b>you girded yourself</b>, that is, you
restrained yourself from certain unlawful and superfluous things, <b>but walked
where you would, </b>not allowing yourself to be kept in check by anyone. That
is why you always wanted to be in danger for my sake. But it was not granted to
you that you suffer for me when young,<b> but when you are old </b>I will
fulfill your desire because <b>you will stretch out your hands, and another
will gird you. </b>What a wondrous prediction! It gives both the time and the
suffering. From the time these words were spoken until Peter's death, about
thirty&#8209;seven years went by. We can see from this that Peter was quite
old.

<p>2630 According to Chrysostom, he says, <b>when you are old</b>,
because human affairs are different than divine affairs: in human affairs the
young are useful, and the old are not of much use; but in divine matters virtue
is not taken away by old age, rather it sometimes becomes even stronger: "My
old age is exalted in abundant mercy" [Ps 92:10]; "As the days of your youth,
so shall your old age be" [Deut 33:25].<a href="#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23"
title="">[23]</a>
But this is to be understood only of those who have practiced virtue in their
youth, as Cicero says.<a href="#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24">[24]</a>
For those who have passed their youth in idleness will become of little or no
value when old. This also teaches us that we rarely find rulers and teachers
who are useful to the Church dying young, as Origen remarks in his explanation
of Matthew (25:19): "Now after a long time the master of those servants came."<a
href="#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25">[25]</a>
He gives Paul as an example. In Acts (7:58) Paul is seen as "a young man," but
in Philemon (1:9) he is "an old man." The reason for this is that people of
this caliber are so rare, that when they are found, the Lord preserves them to
a ripe old age.

<p>2631 He mentions the way he will suffer when he says, <b>you
will stretch out your hands, </b>for Peter was crucified. Yet he was crucified
using ropes, not nails, so he would not die so quickly. This is the girding spoken
of by Christ.

<p>Three things can be considered in
the sufferings of the saints. First, there is a natural affection: there is
such a natural love between the soul and the body that the soul never desires
to be separated from the body, nor the body from the soul: "For while we are
still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but
that we would be further clothed" (2 Cor 5:4); "My soul is very sorrowful, even
to death" (Mt 26:38). This is why Christ says, <b>where you do not wish to go, </b>that
is, by the impulse of nature, which is so rooted in nature that even old age
could not destroy it in Peter. Yet, the desire due to grace weakens this: "My
desire is to depart and be with Christ" (Phil 1:23); "We are of good courage,
and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Cor
5:8). Secondly, the intentions of the persecutors and the saints are different,
<b>and carry you where you do not wish to go. </b>Thirdly, we see that we
should be prepared to suffer, but not to kill ourselves. Thus Christ says, <b>you
will stretch out your hands. </b>This clearly was the case with Peter: for when
the people wanted to rebel against Nero and deliver Peter, he forbade it:
"Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example" (1 Pet 2:21).

<p>2632 The words <b>another will gird you </b>rightly come
before <b>and carry you</b>, the thought being that <b>another will gird you </b>because
he will <b>carry you where you do not wish to go</b>. Lest one think this
statement was lightly written, it was written after the death of Peter. Peter
was killed during Nero's lifetime; and John wrote this Gospel after he returned
from the exile to which he had been banished during the reign of Domitian,
there being several other emperors between Nero and Domitian.

<p>2633 John mentions this as something in the future, saying, <b>This
he said to show by what death he was to glorify God, </b>for the death of the
saints gives glory to Christ: "Christ will be honored in my body, whether by
life or by death" (Phil 1:20); "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a
thief ... yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under
that name let him glorify God" (1 Pet 4:15). Indeed, the greatness of the Lord
is shown by the fact that the saints brave death for his truth and faith.
<BR><BR><BR>
<p align=center><B>LECTURE 5

<BLOCKQUOTE><p>19b And after this he said to him, "Follow me." 20 Peter
turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close
to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to
betray you?" 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this
man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If [So] it is my will that he remain until I come,
what is that to you? Follow me!" 23 The saying spread abroad among the brethren
that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not
to die, but, "If [So] it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that
to you?"<a href="#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26">[26]</a></B></BLOCKQUOTE>

<p>2634 After the Evangelist showed what our Lord had in mind
for Peter, he now tells about John. First, we see the commendation of the
disciple, John; secondly, his gospel is commended (v 25). In regard to the
first, we see the occasion for John's commendation; and then the commendation
itself, <b>the disciple whom Jesus loved.</b>

<p>2635 The occasion for John's commendation was Christ's
invitation to Peter to follow him. <b>And after he said this to him, </b>that
is, after Christ told Peter about his office and martyrdom, he <b>said to him, </b>Jesus
said to Peter, <b>Follow me. </b>For Augustine, this means follow me in
martyrdom, by suffering for me; for it is not enough just to suffer in some
way, but this must be done by following Christ, that is, by suffering for his
sake: "Blessed are you when men hate you ... on account of the Son of man" (Lk
6:22); "Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow
in his steps" (1 Pet 2:21).<a href="#_ftn27" name="_ftnref27">[27]</a>

<p>2636 Many others who were present would also suffer for
Christ, especially James, who was the first to be killed: "He killed James the
brother of John with the sword" (Acts 12:2). Why then does Christ say to Peter
in particular, <b>Follow me</b>?<b> </b>The reason, according to Augustine, was
that Peter not only suffered death for Christ, but also followed Christ even in
the kind of death, that is, death by the cross: "If any man would come after
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mt 16:24).<a
href="#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28">[28]</a>
Or, according to Chrysostom, in saying <b>Follow me, </b>Christ means in your
office as prelate, leader.<a href="#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29">[29]</a>
He was saying in effect: As I have the care of the Church, received from my
Father &#8209; "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage" (Ps 2:8) &#8209;
so will you be, in my place, over the whole Church.

<p>2637 But after Christ's ascension, why did James hold first
place in Jerusalem? We can say that James had a special jurisdiction over that
place, but Peter had the universal authority over the whole Church of
believers.

<p>2638 Now we see that John is commended: first, as to his
past; then with respect to his future (v 21). John is commended on three points
in his past.

<p>2639 First, John had the privilege of having Christ's special
love. The Evangelist says, <b>Peter turned, </b>for he had begun to follow
Jesus even bodily, <b>and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved. </b>Here
we see that Peter, already made a shepherd, was intent on the care of others:
"And when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren" (Lk 22:32). Now
Jesus loved John without excluding the others, for above he said, "As the
Father has loved me, so have I loved you" (15:9). But he loved John above the
others with a special love. There were three reasons for this. First, because
of his penetrating understanding: for teachers especially love their
intelligent students: "A servant who deals wisely has the king's favor" (Prv
14:35). Secondly, because of his purity, for he was a virgin: "He who loves
purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his
friend" (Prv 22:11). Thirdly, because of his youth, for we have tender feelings
for the young and the weak, and act with friendship towards them. And this is
the way Christ acted with the youthful John: "When Israel was a child, I loved
him" (Hos 11:1). We can see from this that God especially loves those who serve
him from their youth: "My soul desires the first ripe figs" [Mic 7:1].

<p>2640 But this seems to go against Proverbs (8:17): "I love
those who love me." Peter loved Christ more than the others: "Do you love me
more than these?" (21:15). Therefore, Christ should have loved Peter more than
John. I answer: it could be said that John, because he was more loved, was
happier; while

<p>Peter, because he loved more, was better. But this would be
a violation of justice. Consequently, this refers to a mystery: that is, Peter
and John stand for two kinds of life, the active and the contemplative, and the
end and object of each is Christ. The active life, which Peter signifies, loves
God more than the contemplative life (which is signified by John) because it
feels more keenly the difficulties of this present life, and more intensely
desires to be freed from them and to go to God. But God loves the contemplative
life more, because he preserves it longer: it does not come to an end with
death, as does the active life: "The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all
the dwelling places of Jacob" (Ps 87:2).

<p>2641 Some try to solve this problem using the literal sense.
They distinguish two kinds of love in Christ, according to his two wills, his
human and divine will. They say that Christ loved Peter more with his divine
love, but he loved John more with his human love. The objection to this is that
Christ's human will was entirely conformed to his divine will; and so the more
he loved one with his divine will, so also he loved that one more with his
human will. Therefore, we should say that he loves that one the more to whom he
wills more good. He loved Peter more in the sense that he made Peter love him
[Christ] more; Christ loved John more in another sense, that is, by giving him
a keener understanding. "The Lord will fill him with the spirit of wisdom and
understanding" [Sir 15:3]. Accordingly, Peter is better because charity is
better than knowledge (cf. 1 Cor 13:8); but John is better in keenness of
understanding. However, only God can weigh their merits: "The Lord weighs the
spirit" (Prv 16:2).

<p>And so others say, and this is
better, that Peter loved Christ more in his members; and in this way he was
also more loved by Christ. For this reason the Church was entrusted to him. But
John loved Christ more in Himself, and in this way was more loved by Christ,
who entrusted his mother to John's care. Or, one could say that Peter loved
Christ more readily and fervently. While John was more loved by being given
tokens of intimate friendship, which Christ gave him on account of his youth
and purity.

<p>2642 John adds, <b>who had lain close to his breast at the
supper, </b>which commends him to us on the second point, his special intimacy
with Christ. This was just explained.

<p>2643 Thirdly, John is commended on account of the special
confidence he had in Christ, so that he could question Christ with more
assurance than all the others. Thus he adds that this disciple <b>had said,
Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?</b> This was also explained before
(13:25).

<p>John is recalling his own
privileges in order to exalt Peter. One might suppose that because Peter had
denied Christ he would not be allowed back to his former intimacy. To reject
this, John shows that he was admitted to a greater intimacy. The one who did
not dare to question Christ at the supper, but asked John to do it, was made
head over his brethren after the passion, and is now questioning Christ not
only for himself, but also for John. We can understand from this that those who
fall into sin sometimes rise in greater grace: "For just as you purposed to go
astray from God, return with tenfold zeal to seek him" (Bar 4:28).

<p>2644 And so the Evangelist immediately shows Peter asking a
question, <b>When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? </b>This
concerns the future of John. First, we have Peter's question; Christ's answer;
and then the interpretation of the answer (v 23).

<p>2645 Regarding the first point, note that when our Lord said
to Peter, "Follow me" (v 19), Peter did begin to follow him with bodily steps,
and so did John. When Peter noticed John following he asked Christ about him,
saying, <b>Lord, what about this man? </b>This was like saying: I am following
you in your suffering. But this man, will he die also? John would have asked
the same question had he dared.

<p>But according to Chrysostom, Peter
was questioning about the leadership [of the Church], not about John's
martyrdom.<a href="#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30">[30]</a>
For Peter loved John more than all the other disciples, and they are always
found together in the Gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles. So Peter wanted
to have John as his companion in the work of preaching. Peter says, <b>Lord,
what about this man? </b>as if to say, "Let him come with me."

<p>2646 Christ's answer is given, <b>So it is my will that he
remain until I come, what is that to you? </b>Notice that the Greek text does
not have "So" but <b>If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that
to you? </b>Yet the difference is not too important, for whatever the
expression, the meaning understood by the apostles from the beginning was that
John was not going to die. So <b>it is my will that he remain until I come, </b>was
[for them] the same as saying, John will not die until I come.

<p>But this interpretation is rejected
by what follows: <b>yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but,
So it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?</b>

<p>2647 Those who defend the first interpretation, claim that
John added this not to exclude the first interpretation but to show that our
Lord did not convey that meaning by these words, but only by the words, <b>So
it is my will that he remain. </b>This is the reason they say that John has not
yet died.

<p>There are various opinions about
John's burial. All say that it is true that he was buried in a tomb which still
exists. But some say he entered his tomb while still alive, and then left it by
divine power, transported to the region of Enoch and Elias, and he is being
kept there until the end of the world. According to this, the meaning is: <b>So
it is my will that he remain </b>alive until the end of the world; and then,
under the Antichrist, he will be martyred along with those other two. For it is
not right that he should not die, for whatever is born dies: "It is appointed
for men to die once" (Heb 9:27).

<p>Others say he entered his tomb at
Ephesus alive, and he remains there still alive, but sleeping, until the Lord
comes. They base their theory on the fact that the soil there moves up and down
in rhythm with John's breathing. Augustine rejects this by saying that it is
not as good to be alive and sleeping as to be alive and blessed.<a
href="#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31">[31]</a>
Why then would Christ reward the disciple he loved above the others with a long
sleep and deprive him of that great good for the sake of which the apostle
wanted to be dissolved and to be with Christ (Phil 1:23). Thus, we should not
believe this. Rather, we should say that he died and arose with his body
indicated by the fact that his body cannot be found &#8209; and remains happy
with Christ, as Christ invited him: "He who testifies to these things says,
Surely I am coming soon" (Rev 22:20).

<p>2648 Augustine explains this passage mystically.<a
href="#_ftn32" name="_ftnref32">[32]</a>
Then the word remain means "continue on," or "persist," as in "Remain in the
city, until you are clothed with power from on high" [Lk 24:49]. Consequently,
our Lord is saying about John, that is, about the contemplative life, <b>So it
is my will that he remain, </b>that is, continue on, <b>until I come, </b>either
at the end of the world, or at the death of any contemplative; for the
contemplative life although begun here is not completed here. It remains
incomplete and continues on till Christ comes to complete it: "Then they were
... told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and
their brethren should be complete" (Rev 6:11); "Mary has chosen the good
portion, which shall not be taken away from her" (Lk 10:42); "Long life is in
her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor" (Prv 3:16). Meanwhile,
the active life, completed and vivified by the example of Christ's passion,
follows him by suffering for him.

<p>2649 Chrysostom understands it this way: <b>So it is my will
that he remain, </b>that is, to remain in Judea, and to preach on this earth; and
I want you [Peter] to follow me by having a concern for the entire world, and
by suffering for me; and John is to remain <b>until I come, </b>to destroy the
Jewish nation.<a href="#_ftn33" name="_ftnref33">[33]</a>
<b>What is that to you? </b>means "These things are for me to decide." For we
do see from history that John did not leave Judea until Vespasian came to Judea
and took Jerusalem; then John set out for Asia.

<p>2650 Then there is the interpretation of Jerome: <b>Follow
me! </b>Peter, by your martyrdom; and so, now speaking about John, <b>it is my
will that he remain, </b>without the sufferings of martyrdom and death, <b>until
I come, </b>to call him to myself &#8209; "I will come again and take you to
myself" (14:3) &#8209; <b>what is that</b>, this privilege, <b>to you?</b> And
so in the stories about blessed John it is said that when he was ninety years
old our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him and invited him to his banquet.

<p>2651 Then the Evangelist shows how the disciples understood
these words of our Lord. They thought that John would not die. <b>The saying
spread abroad among the brethren, </b>the disciples &#8209; "Behold, how good
and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Ps 133:1) &#8209; <b>that
this disciple, </b>John, <b>was not to die. </b>But he corrects this error,
saying, <b>Yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die</b>:<b> </b>"Are
you also still without understanding?" (Mt 15:16). The rest has been explained.
<BR><BR><BR>
<p align=center><b>LECTURE 6

<BLOCKQUOTE><p>24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these
things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is
true. 25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one
of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the
books that would be written.<a href="#_ftn34" name="_ftnref34">[34]</b></a></BLOCKQUOTE>

<p>2652 Now we have the last part of this Gospel, which is a
kind of epilogue. First, the Gospel is commended; and then the vastness of the
subject treated (v 25). The Gospel is commended because of two things: its
author, and its truth. Three things are mentioned about the author.

<p>2653 First, there is the authority of the author, because <b>This
is the disciple</b> &#8209; understanding what was mentioned before who was
loved above the others, intimate with Christ, able to question him with
confidence, and to whom it was granted to remain until Christ came. All these
things refer to the authority of the author.

<p>John is said to have been loved
more than the others because of his unique charity: "By this all men will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (13:35). None of
the other apostles speak so much of love for others as does John in his
letters. We also read that as an old man he was carried to the church by his
followers to teach the faithful. He taught only one thing: "Little children,
love one another." This is the perfection of the Christian life.

<p>2654 Secondly, John's office is mentioned, which was to give
testimony, for he says, <b>who is bearing witness to these things</b>. This is
the special office of apostles: "You shall be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8); "You
are my witnesses!" (Is 44:8).

<p>2655 Thirdly, he refers to his zeal when he says, <b>and who
has written these things</b>. As an apostle he testified to the actions of
Christ to those who were present; and in his zeal he recorded these actions in
writing for those who were not with him and were to come after him: "Take a
large tablet and write upon it in common characters" (Is 8:1); "The wisdom of
the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; and he who has little
business may become wise" (Sir 38:24). For it was granted to John to live until
the time when the Church was at peace; and this is the time when he wrote all these
things. John mentions such things so that we will not think that his gospel has
less authority than the other three, seeing that he wrote after the death of
all the other apostles, and the other gospels, especially that of Matthew, had
been approved by them.

<p>2656 Now John states that his Gospel is true, and he speaks
in the person of the entire Church which received it: "My mouth will utter
truth" (Prv 8:7). We should note that although many have written about Catholic
truth, there is a difference among them: those who wrote the canonical
scriptures, such as the evangelists and apostles and the like, so constantly
and firmly affirm this truth that it cannot be doubted. Thus John says, <b>we
know that his testimony is true</b>:<b> </b>"If any one is preaching to you a
gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed" (Gal 1:9). The
reason for this is that only the canonical scriptures are the standard of
faith. The others have set forth this truth but in such a way that they do not
want to be believed except in those things in which they say what is true.

<p>2657 Now John states the incompleteness of his Gospel as
compared with the reality, because Christ not only did these things <b>but
there are also many other things which Jesus did.</b>

<p>2658 His statement, <b>were every one of them to be written,
I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be
written, </b>can be understood in two ways. First, the word <b>contain </b>can
refer to the capacity of our minds to understand. So the meaning is: So much could
be said about Christ that the world could not understand all that could be
written: "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now,"
that is, understand them (16:12). We could also regard this statement as a
deliberate exaggeration; and it then indicates the abundance of Christ's works.

<p>2659 How reconcile this? He had just said, <b>we know that
his testimony is true</b>, and then immediately resorts to hyperbole, exceeding
the truth. According to Augustine, Scripture does use figures of speech, such
as "I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne" [Is 6:1], and such
statements are not false.<a href="#_ftn35" name="_ftnref35">[35]</a>
This is so when hyperbole is used. The desire of the speaker is not that we
accept the literal meaning of the words, but what they were intended to mean,
that is, the great number of Christ's works. Hyperbole is not used to explain
what is obscure or doubtful, but to exaggerate or minimize what is obvious. For
example, to emphasize how plentiful something is, one can say that there is
enough for a hundred or a thousand people. And to minimize something, one could
say that there is hardly enough for three. This is not speaking falsely,
because it is so obvious that the words contort the reality that they show that
one does not intend to lie, but to indicate that something is great or small.

<p>2660 Or, this statement could be understood to refer to the
power of Christ, who performed these signs; and the emphasis is on <b>every one
of them. </b>For to write about each and every word and deed of Christ is to reveal
the power of every word and deed. Now the words and deeds of Christ are also
those of God. Thus, if one tried to write and tell of the nature of every one,
he could not do so; indeed, the entire world could not do this. This is because
even an infinite number of human words cannot equal one word of God. From the
beginning of the Church Christ has been written about; but this is still not
equal to the subject. Indeed, even if the world lasted a hundred thousand
years, and books written about Christ, his words and deeds could not be
completely revealed: "Of making many books there is no end" (Eccl 12:12); The
works of God "are multiplied above number" [Ps 50:5].

</div>

<div><br clear=all>

<hr align=left size=1 width="33%">

<div id=ftn1>

<p><a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[1]</a>
St. Thomas refers to Jn 21:6 in the <i>Summa
Theologiae</i>: III, q. 44, a. 4, ad 1.

</div>

<div id=ftn2>

<p><a href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2">[2]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 122, ch. 1, col. 1959; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>20:1-11.

</div>

<div id=ftn3>

<p><a href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3">[3]</a> Ambrose.

</div>

<div id=ftn4>

<p><a href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4">[4]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 122, ch. 2, col. 1959-60; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:1-11.

</div>

<div id=ftn5>

<p><a href="#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5">[5]</a> <i>XL
homiliae in Evangelista</i>; PL 76; cf. <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 21:1-11. 

</div>

<div id=ftn6>

<p><a href="#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6">[6]</a>
Augustine.

</div>

<div id=ftn7>

<p><a href="#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7">[7]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 122, ch. 7, col. 1962; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:1-11.

</div>

<div id=ftn8>

<p><a href="#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8">[8]</a>
St. Thomas refers to Jn 21:12 in the <i>Summa
Theologiae</i>: III, q. 53, a. 2, obj. 3.

</div>

<div id=ftn9>

<p><a href="#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9">[9]</a> <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 87, ch. 2; PG 59, col. 475; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>, 21:1-11.

</div>

<div id=ftn10>

<p><a href="#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10">[10]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 123, ch. 1, col. 1965; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:1-11.

</div>

<div id=ftn11>

<p><a href="#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11">[11]</a> <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 87, ch.
2; PG 59, col. 475; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>, 21:1-11.

</div>

<div id=ftn12>

<p><a href="#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12">[12]</a> summa

</div>

<div id=ftn13>

<p><a href="#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13">[13]</a> <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 123, ch. 3,
col. 1966; also <i>De  consensus evangelistarum</i>, 3, ch. 26; PL 34; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>,

</div>

<div id=ftn14>

<p><a href="#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14">[14]</a>
St. Thomas refers to Jn 21:17 in the <i>Summa
Theologiae</i>: III, q. 7, a. 3, s. c.

</div>

<div id=ftn15>

<p><a href="#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15">[15]</a>
Aristotle, <i>Politics</i>.

</div>

<div id=ftn16>

<p><a href="#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16">[16]</a>
Gregory.

</div>

<div id=ftn17>

<p><a href="#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17">[17]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 123, ch. 5, col. 1968; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:15-17.

</div>

<div id=ftn18>

<p><a href="#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18">[18]</a> <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 88, ch.
1; PG 59, col. 478; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>, 21:15-17.

</div>

<div id=ftn19>

<p><a href="#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19">[19]</a><i>Serm.
Pasch.</i>; cf.
<i>Catena Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:15-17. 

</div>

<div id=ftn20>

<p><a href="#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20">[20]</a>  <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 123, ch. 5, col. 1967; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:15-17.

</div>

<div id=ftn21>

<p><a href="#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21">[21]</a> Greek
Doctor.

</div>

<div id=ftn22>

<p><a href="#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22">[22]</a>
Aristotle, <i>Rhetoric</i>.

</div>

<div id=ftn23>

<p><a href="#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23">[23]</a> <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 88; PG 59, col. 479; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>, 21:18-19.

</div>

<div id=ftn24>

<p><a href="#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24">[24]</a> Cicero.

</div>

<div id=ftn25>

<p><a href="#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25">[25]</a> Origen<i>,
Explanation of Matthew</i>.

</div>

<div id=ftn26>

<p><a href="#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26">[26]</a>
St. Thomas refers to Jn 21:21 in the <i>Summa
Theologiae</i>: III, q. 83, a. 4, ad 2.

</div>

<div id=ftn27>

<p><a href="#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27">[27]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 124, ch. 1, col. 1969; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:19-23.

</div>

<div id=ftn28>

<p><a href="#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28">[28]</a> Ibid.,
col. 1970; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:19-23.

</div>

<div id=ftn29>

<p><a href="#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29">[29]</a> <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 88, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 480.

</div>

<div id=ftn30>

<p><a href="#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30">[30]</a> <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 88, ch. 2; PG 59, col. 480; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>, 21:19-23.

</div>

<div id=ftn31>

<p><a href="#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31">[31]</a> <i>Tract.
in Io</i>., 124, ch. 2, col. 1970; cf. <i>Catena
Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:19-23.

</div>

<div id=ftn32>

<p><a href="#_ftnref32" name="_ftn32">[32]</a> Ibid.; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>,<i> </i>21:19-23.

</div>

<div id=ftn33>

<p><a href="#_ftnref33" name="_ftn33">[33]</a>  <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 88, ch. 2; PG 59, col. 480.

</div>

<div id=ftn34>

<p><a href="#_ftnref34" name="_ftn34">[34]</a>
St. Thomas refers to Jn 21:25 in the <i>Summa
Theologiae</i>: III, q. 42, a. 4; q. 83, a. 4, ad 2.

</div>

<div id=ftn35>

<p><a href="#_ftnref35" name="_ftn35">[35]</a>
<i>Tract. in Io</i>.,
124, ch. 8, col. 1976; cf. <i>Catena Aurea</i>,<i>
</i>21:24-25.
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